Kim, Cance lead cast of returners as Chargers gun for playoff spot

Gone to the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" are quarterback Matt McLaughlin and running back Liam Saito, linemen Connor Anderson and Will Kehmeier and receivers Matt Mohs and Christian Newkirk--each of them an all-leaguer.

Still, head coach Jake Shaughnessy is not lamenting last year's seniors lost; he's more focused on the players returning this fall as they try to make a return trip to the Central Coast Section playoffs.

The Chargers are no strangers to CCS play. Quite the contrary. Leland has advanced to the postseason 26 times in the 42-year history of the section playoffs, including each of the past six seasons. Leland has won four CCS championships (including the first one back in 1972) and reached the finals seven times.

But getting back to the playoffs will be no easy feat for a squad with just one returning starter from a club that posted a 7-4 record and a solid 5-2 mark in the rugged Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League in 2013.

"We are a whole new team this year," said Shaughnessy. "We have one returning starter from last year's team, and he's surrounded by seniors who saw limited action last year and juniors coming up from the junior varsity."

Tae Kim (6-foot-4, 240 pounds) is back as a two-way starter at center and defensive end after an all-league season as a junior.

Leland lost 30 seniors to graduation, including 12 who won all-league first and second team honors in the division. Still, the Chargers return 20 players from last year's squad that finished second to Pioneer.

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Kim tops that list of 20, and he's joined as a senior leader this fall by quarterback Kevin Cance (5-10, 165). Cance, who also figures to see action at wide receiver and in the defensive secondary, was the second baseman for the Leland baseball team that won the CCS Open Division championship last spring.

Cance will be joined in the backfield by senior running back Jun Bang (5-10, 175), who could also see time at quarterback, and senior fullbacks Chuck Culberson (5-10, 185) and Kenny Liu (5-10, 185). Junior Collin Petrow (5-10, 175) is also a top candidate in the backfield.

Kim will be back to anchor the offensive line at his center post with senior letterman Andrew Tran (6-3, 250) holding down a guard spot. Junior Bryce Anderson (6-2, 235) is a top prospect at tackle.

Over on the defensive side of the ball, many of the names are the same. Kim is a leader at defensive end, with Tran and Anderson playing inside at tackle spots. Bang, Culberson and Liu are Leland linebackers and Cance and Petrow will play in the secondary.

However, as Shaughnessy points out, most of the returners saw limited action in 2014. "We're very short on experience, but we have a very balanced group of linemen and skill position players," he said. "They need to be competitive right out of the gate as they gain experience at the varsity level."

Given the rugged schedule the Chargers face this fall, that's almost an understatement.

Leland opens against Sacred Heart Prep on Sept. 6, 2 p.m., in Atherton. The Gators won the CCS Division III championship last season, crushing El Cerrito 42-7 in the finals, and advanced to the state tournament where they lost 27-15 to Corona Del Mar.

A week later the Chargers play their home opener against a Burlingame team that went 5-0 last year to win the Peninsula Ocean Division championship.

After a road game at Santa Clara, Leland takes a week off before opening league play against Independence, then faces powerhouses Oak Grove, Piedmont Hills and Pioneer--the club Shaughnessy rates as the favorite to win the division title--in three of the next four weeks.